DU sets conditions for direct PhD entry for four-year undergraduate graduates
Delhi University has issued a notification on the PhD entrance for students who completed the four-year undergraduate programme with research or entrepreneurship work.
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Students who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree and want to pursue a PhD directly, without a master's, have an opportunity at Delhi University (DU). But not every student will be able to apply. The university has said certain conditions must be met.
DU issued a notification on the PhD entrance examination on October 14, 2026. It gives details of the entrance pattern, eligibility and selection process for students who have completed the four-year undergraduate programme. The arrangement is for students who completed the four-year programme with research or entrepreneurship work. The university says such students must meet the eligibility prescribed for PhD admission and must also take the entrance examination. The route to apply for a PhD after a four-year degree is open, but admission will not be automatic.
According to the university, students who have completed the four-year, eight-semester undergraduate programme under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework 2022 (UGCF 2022) may be eligible for this entrance. They must secure at least the prescribed CGPA in their undergraduate degree. In addition, work related to research or entrepreneurship in the fourth year of study is mandatory. Simply completing a four-year degree in the usual way will not be enough.
On CGPA, candidates in the general category must have at least 7.5, earned in the four-year, eight-semester undergraduate programme. General category students with a lower CGPA will not be eligible for this special entrance. Students from the SC, ST and disabled categories will be eligible at a CGPA of 7.
The entrance examination will last two hours and carry questions worth a total of 100 marks. The question paper will be in two parts. The first will be on research methodology and the second on the candidate's own subject. Each part carries 50 marks.
The university has fixed minimum qualifying marks for the interview. General category candidates must score at least 50 per cent in the entrance to qualify for the interview. As the examination is of 100 marks, general category candidates need at least 50 marks. For SC, ST and PwBD candidates, the qualifying marks are 45 per cent.
Candidates who pass the entrance and are shortlisted for the interview must complete one more important step. They must submit a report on the research or entrepreneurship work done during the fourth year of the undergraduate programme. This may include a dissertation, an academic project report or an entrepreneurship report.
